Mother's Day is a Joke

Personal Essay: A half assed cheers to Moms

Photo by Siegfried Poepperl on Unsplash

Mother’s Day is a joke. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that once a year we are forced to remember our mothers, but it’s just not enough. 

I’m confident that I’ll never be able to repay the debt I owe to my mom. Of course she would say that it’s all been worth it. But it’s simply a fact, I’ll never be a mom. For one, I’m a man. As of now I don’t plan on changing that. Although I’m sure there are plenty of men out there who fill the role of a mom, hats off to all the Mothers, regardless of gender or whatever. 

What I really mean though is that I don’t personally have the capacity to do what mothers do. Bringing a child into the world is a huge sacrifice in my eyes. Who really wants to go through all of that? But child birth alone doesn’t define a mother. 

What blows me away most is the giving up of self, moms have a special capacity to give up everything for their children. 

So one day a year just doesn’t seem right. 

Growing up, Mother’s Day always seemed so chaotic and half assed. Dad would try to give mom some sort of break and we would try to be on our best behavior. But on at least one occasion I remember my brother and I asking, “Why isn’t there a kids day?” 

Selfish little beasts we were, and in a way we still are. 

Even today, the main concern for me was the Manchester United v Arsenal match. As I sat smoking too many cigarettes and nervously biting my nails, I tried to think of Mom. Mom’s not really an Arsenal fan. At least not the way I understand fandom. But of course she wants me to be happy, so she follows how Arsenal are doing. Sadly much of my happiness seems to stem from Arsenal doing well. And they are doing well, very well. 

It wasn’t a breathtaking performance this morning, but this Arsenal side keeps finding different ways to win matches. As Leandro Trossard put the Gunners ahead around the 20 minute mark, I allowed myself a moment of ecstasy. Pumping my fists in jubilation. The rest of the match was nervy to say the least, but Arsenal relied on solid defensive discipline and a team wide work ethic. They found a way to get over the line, ensuring that the Premier League title race would go down to the last day. 

We sit top of the table for now, but I imagine this season will end with Manchester City once again raising the trophy. I’m proud of this Arsenal team. They look like champions. But, Manchester City are a different beast. Let’s put aside the fact that the blue half of Manchester has been breaking financial rules since they started winning. Does it really matter from a sporting perspective? I think it does, but either way, they have an amazing squad that will be very difficult to knock off the top. Surely something special will have to happen if Arsenal are to be crowned champions. 

I have hope, but often it’s the hope that kills you. 

I know, this is supposed to be about the moms today. All I can really do is sit back in awe and say thank you for everything. Thanks for all the support, the love, and from this Arsenal fan, thanks for being a little less psychotic. After all, does it really matter if Arsenal finish the season as champions? Mom would love it, because over everything, she wants me to be happy. Maybe one day I’ll be able to take a step back, to watch Arsenal without putting everything on the line. 

I hope I can learn to be more like my mom. Selfless, someone who puts everything on the line for others. 

Cheers to you Mom, I hope you have a moment of pure ecstasy, pumping your fists, knowing that you are something special. Much more special even than Arsenal winning the league. And that would be special.